Sideways progress

Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński's recent trip to Germany saw him greeted with honors reserved for the country's closest allies and media coverage that underlined the friendly atmosphere of his visit. Differences between the two countries persist, however, and are proving difficult to overcome.

During the visit PM Kaczyński proposed a bilateral treaty in which the nations would renounce any World War II compensation claims. This was specifically directed at recent attempts by some German organizations to sue Poland for not paying restitution to expellees of formerly German territories that were ceded to Poland in 1945. "We believe this issue has already been taken care of through the clear stance of the German government not to support these demands," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, rejecting the proposal.

Not surprisingly, the Baltic gas pipeline was also on the agenda. Kaczyński stressed that Poland wants to reduce its reliance on Russian gas supplies. He reaffirmed that Poland doesn't plan to join the Baltic Sea project. Merkel promised that, in case of an energy emergency, Poland could get gas from the West. "This fits into our plans of diversifying gas supplies," Kaczyński said.

Issues related to the EU also arose, as Germany is to take over the Presidency of the Union in January. PM Kaczyński expressed his approval of Germany's eastern policy (treating Russia as an important partner, but at a distance). However, the Germans were recalcitrant to offer guarantees of future membership for Georgia and Ukraine, which Poland would like to see.